Left without a choice
by AwkwardNerdyGirl
Summary: AU, Sophie Hatter lives in a world devoid of magic. After a few extraordinary circumstances, she and a lot ladies in her country are left with no choice but to enter a relationship made only of labels, not love. And who else is the other half of Sophie in this kind of relationship? No other than Howl Pendragon, of course! Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello readers! Thank you for deciding to read this story!**

 **Oh, and I am basing this story on the books. There will be differences of course, because this is set in an alternate universe or AU. No use of magic here! And please expect the characters to be a bit OOC for them to fit in the story.**

 **Please tell me what you think by reviewing (whether it will criticizing or praising, I don't care. Reviews help me write better.) Favorite and Follow if you want, as well! Enjoy reading!  
**

* * *

Mr. Hatter lives up to his name. He and his family live in a small town in Strangia, where he is known to sell and make the loveliest hats. He sends his daughters to the best school in the next town. He and his family lived a fairly normal, that it is very much a pity when he died.

A young lady with hair the color of sunset sits in front of a table, doing her work quietly but steadily. Sophie is her name.

She looks at the stacks of plain hats she still has to sew decorations on. She sighs. As the eldest daughter of Mr. Hatter, she inherited the shop and the business. She even inherited the talent of her father and turned out to be as good as, no, actually, better in making hats than her father. She loves her work, she really does, but she sometimes finds the work making her life boring and dull.

She sighs again as she adds the finished hat to the stack of ready-to-sell hats _. I could be at school today,_ she thinks, _if only Fanny is here to substitute for me for the few school hours._ She is the most studious out of her sisters, but also the only one who can manage the hat shop while her stepmother is gone. Her sisters have absolutely no talent in creating hats.

Fanny, her stepmother, is away to see her suitors. She's just like Mr. Hatter. Sophie's mother died when her daughters are still in a very young age, and a few months after, her father married Fanny to be their mother. She is a good motherly figure to them, treating them all with kindness.

Fanny told her this morning that one of her suitors is very handsome and very rich. She also said that she's hoping that that man would propose marriage to her, so that they could all live a good and prosperous life once again. _Fanny's still young,_ Sophie thinks as she picks up a new hat to decorate _, it is understandable that she would want a husband and a good house._ _But I also hope she could also help more in the business._

The door suddenly burst open. "Sophie! Sophie!"

She gasps and jumps in her seat. She puts a hand in her chest and tries to calm down her fast-beating heart. "Lettie, Martha, you frightened me!"

"It is the time to be frightened!" Lettie sits down in a chair in the living room. Lettie is a year younger than her, and her only sister in both parents. Though, she inherited the dark hair of their father, while Sophie inherited the reddish gold hair of their mother. She is said to be the prettiest of the three sisters, although all of them grew up to be very pretty.

"What happened?" Sophie puts down the unfinished hat and goes to sit beside Lettie.

"War has come!" Martha sits down in the chair opposite her sisters after she locked the door and hung a 'closed' sign. She has fair hair, which she inherited from her mother, Fanny. She is the youngest and also the brightest of them three.

"War? Between Strangia and Ingary?" Sophie cannot hide the shock from her voice. She always thinks that the royal family of Strangia would never resort to violence against the Ingary, which larger and more powerful than Strangia.

"Yes! A messenger came to town and shouted the news that the king has accepted the challenge of war from Ingary. There was chaos and screaming in the school." Lettie explains.

"Mrs. Fairfax sent all the students home." Martha continues, before fixing her gray eyes to Sophie's blue-green orbs. "She also asked why you are not in school."

"You know the answer to that, Martha. There are lots of work to do and lots of debts to pay." Sophie's father cannot cover all the expenses the school he sent his daughters to with just his salary. And after he died, he left his debts in the hands of his family.

"Where is mother, by the way?" Martha asks, looking around the shop.

"Let me guess. She left you here alone while she's looking for men who are rich and who will want to marry her," Lettie deadpans.

"What? Oh, that mother of mine," Martha exclaims when Sophie nods. "She is exploiting you, Sophie! It is her responsibility to make money and pay the debts, since she's now the head of the family. You should be at school!"

"When Fanny marries a rich suitor, she says that one of her suitors is that kind of man, then all our debts would be paid, and then I can go to school," Sophie reasons.

"Yes, but when would that be? You could be too old for school when she marries the man, for all we know! And you would be stuck in this shop forever." Lettie holds her older sister's hands, and soon after, Martha places her hands on the top as well. "We all know you love studying and we all know you would have a good life after you finish school. But you have too soft a heart, that you let many things hinder your dreams and opportunities!"

Sophie looks down at their clasped hands, since she cannot hold the concerned gazes of her sisters anymore. Her heart is deeply moved, though. "Lettie, Martha, thank you. While both of you think about my future, I am also thinking about yours. Both of you deserve a better life than this, that's why if I have to sacrifice my future for yours, then so be it. I would love to send you two to Filbert and Hazel School we went before, but it is far too expensive. Mrs. Fairfax's school is not the same as that, but education is education, and it will certainly lead you both to better lives."

The three of them hold each other, wondering and worrying about their lives during the war and after the war.

War indeed has come. It happens at the border of the two countries, and does not spread to other places, which means lives of other people are not disrupted. Sophie, Lettie, and Martha goes back to school, while Fanny is home, doing the work.

The war does not last more than 2 weeks, for the Ingarian soldiers are too strong for the Strangian ones. After a huge loss in the battlefield, Strangia's royal family sends a message of surrender to the royalty of Ingary, saying that they are afraid of losing more lives. It is then known that Strangia is conquered by Ingary.

"Did you hear, girls?" Fanny asks them during dinner a few months after the war. By this time, Sophie has already finished her studies and is now working full-time at the hat shop, much to her sisters' disappointments. They know their eldest sister could be somewhere better, but Sophie told them that she needs to help pay the debts first.

"What happened, mother?" Martha answers while chewing, which earns her a hard look from her mother.

"Where are your manners, Martha? Do not talk while eating." Then Fanny's face softens as she turns from her daughter. "The king offered all the ladies of marriageable age to the soldiers of Ingary!" This is followed by a lot of disbelieving exclamations and questions from the three beautiful ladies.

"Haven't the king already offered the hand of his daughter, our Princess Beatrice, to the Ingary's prince as a sign of peace?" Lettie throws down her utensils to the floor, obviously not caring whether they break or not.

"We have already lost a lot of lives because of the war. We have surrendered. We have been declared a conquered city of Ingary. And now we, all ladies, for goodness's sake, have been given as some kind of gifts to the enemies!" Sophie stands up and walks back and forth.

"It is not fair for us! What if we are engaged? What if we do not abide by the king's order? What if we do not want to marry the soldiers? Do we not have a choice?" Martha slams her hands at the table.

"Girls, clam down. Shush. Girls, please. Lower your tone and volume. Girls! Girls!" Only when Fanny raises her voice and slams the table with such force the plates rattle, do the ladies quiet down and look at her. Fanny composes herself and folds her aching hands at her lap. "Sophie, please sit down. Lettie, please pick up the utensils. And Martha, you are not yet in the marriageable age. What are you getting angry for?"

Martha flushes with embarrassment, but holds her mother's gaze stubbornly. "I am getting angry for my sisters. Oh, and you too! You are still in the marriageable age, yes, mother?"

"Yes, what about your suitor? He has not yet proposed to you, as far as we know. Aren't you worried?" Lettie asks, her sarcasm drips a little bit in her words that Sophie purses her lips in a thin line.

Fanny ignores the sarcasm, or perhaps she doesn't catch it. "Oh, yes. I am terribly worried. I do not want to marry a soldier. How can they pay our debts with their small earnings? That is why I am going to see Mr. Sacheverell Smith tomorrow. I certainly hope he heard the news and would propose to me already."

"Is marrying Ingary's soldiers really an order? Do we really not have a choice?" Sophie asks, wishing quietly for her stepmother to disagree.

Fanny sighs. "Yes. I suppose tomorrow a messenger will announce it here. But yes, I heard from Mrs. Fairfax that it really is an order."

The next day, a messenger arrives and confirms what Fanny told them. The messenger stands in the center of the town square and shouts, "All ladies of marriageable age, please prepare to be at the capital of Ingary, Kingsbury, at the end of the month! A cotillion will be held for a week, where the ladies will be presented to their possible husbands. At the last day of that week, all ladies must have chosen one from their suitors."

"This is absurd," Sophie says. She is standing with her dark-haired sister among the crowd that formed around the messenger. Fanny is dealing with Mr. Smith at the moment, and Martha is left at home to oversee the hat shop.

"It really is! We are only given three weeks before the end of the month. And the trip to the border from here would take three days! And we do not know how far Kingsbury is from there," Lettie exclaims.

"Not only that," Sophie reminds her sister. "We are also given only a week to find and choose a husband."

"The kings of Strangia and Ingary both says that they do not want to handle too many divorce papers at once," the messenger continues. "Thus, they ordered that the lady will live in with her chosen suitor for a month. A marriage will only occur when both parties agree to marry each other by the end of 4 weeks of living together!"

"Alright, it is not that absurd, but it is still absurd," Lettie says, as the messenger is finishing his speech. The crowd is getting into frenzy with protests and questions. "What will happen if they do not agree to marry each other?"

The two sisters have to push and squirm their way out of the angry and shouting mass of people to start their way back home. Sophie answers, once they are outside the crowd, "I guess we shall find out in a few weeks."

* * *

 **So what do you think? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it have errors, like the grammar? Please mention your thoughts in the reviews!**

 **Thank you for reading! Please wait for the next chapter and updates! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello to all! Thank you for reading the 2nd chapter!**

 **To all my readers, BEWARE. Things will escalate quickly in this story. I'm saying this now, so you will know why the story progresses quickly. I want to finish this story before the start of my classes on January, because I will be too busy to even write a paragraph by then.**

 **To the people who reviewed, thank you thank you thank you! You don't know how much your messages mean to me. You've given me the courage to post the next chapter.**

 **Here it is! I hope you like it, and I hope to hear your thoughts! :)**

* * *

The next three weeks has been very busy for all citizens in Strangia. Everyone is bustling and hustling, even the Hatters. Although soon, there would only be three Hatters left. Mr. Sacheverell Smith asked for Fanny's hand a day after the messenger arrived at the town. Their marriage will be done a week before Sophie and Lettie will go to Kingsbury. The wedding, plus the preparations, have given the ladies no free time at all. Because Mr. Smith paid their debts immediately, they have already closed the hat shop, which caused a huge disappointment to the women in town. Even without the hat trade, they are already very busy.

Martha could not help much in the preparations and packings of her sisters' luggage, bags, and boxes, since she's already too busy helping her mother with her wedding. Lettie wants her older sister to make her gowns for the cotillion, however, Sophie knows she could not finish all 14 gowns, including hers, in time. Fanny tells them that Mr. Smith knows many seamstresses who can help, but with the wedding clothes to make, and with the short time they are given, they can only make four gowns for each lady. Martha helps and looks for others, but all tailors and seamstresses are already hired by other ladies. Sophie could not make new gowns from scratch, instead, she remade and customized her and Lettie's dresses. With her deft and talented hands, her own redecorated gowns are almost as good as the brand new ones from Mr. Smith's seamstresses.

Fanny and Mr. Smith's wedding is a simple one, which is big surprise for the ladies, because Fanny is a lavish woman. But no one utters a single complaint. Everyone is busy and pressed for time. Soon after the wedding, everyone helps with the last preparations of the two older Hatters, especially Sophie, because she is still making hats and other accessories for Lettie and herself. Although Sophie grumbles all the time, because she has no interest in finding a husband, yet. Very soon, it is time to bid farewell.

"Do you think Martha will be alright alone there?" Lettie asks, once they are comfortable in the carriage.

Sophie finishes sewing jewels into a hat before answering, "Of course. Fanny is sending her again to Filbert and Hazel School. And maybe, when she reaches the marriageable age, the king will have cancelled the order to marry an Ingarian soldier, and she will be able to choose freely whom to marry."

"That would be nice," Lettie ponders for a few moments, while her sister sews beads and other decorations onto the hat. Lettie blinks at this. "Sophie, you really should rest. There are bags under your eyes. It's not making you look lovely!"

Sophie's red rimmed eyes look up from her work. "I am not lovely, so what will the bags under my eyes do to me? Besides, there are only two hats left to do."

Lettie huffs when her sister continues her work. "We've been arguing for years because of this." Indeed they have argued so many times when Sophie refused to put creams and powders on her face, like Lettie wished and wanted, because she said that cosmetics won't make her ugly face prettier, instead, it would just emphasize her flaws. "You are lovely. And just because you don't know it doesn't mean that others don't see it! And it won't hurt for you to sleep, you know. You've been working with our gowns and accessories for many days and nights, you've lost sleep."

"I have three more days in this trip to sleep and rest, Lettie. I can finish the two hats now. Why save the work for later?"

"Sleep is more important! Besides, the gowns you made are already beautiful, they actually do not need any accessories to go with them. And you have three more days to make those hats."

The sisters continue to bicker for a while, neither side wanting to back down. The footman of their carriage chuckles at the strong-mindedness of the two ladies. The argument seems to last forever, until Sophie cries out in surrender, "Fine! I'll sleep!"

Lettie laughs out in joy. "Finally! Now give me that hat."

Sophie looks at her younger sister warily. "Why would you want the unfinished hat?"

Lettie grins. "Why, I'm going to finish it, of course! I know how to sew, you know. I am a daughter and a sister of a hatter."

Sophie doesn't know whether she should laugh or scoff. But she doesn't laugh because she's annoyed from their bickering, which was tiring, and she doesn't scoff because it will lead to another argument, which will be tiring. So she settles for a neutral face. "Oh yes, you know how, but you absolutely lack skills."

A wider grin. "Oh, no faith in me, older sister?"

A sigh. "Whether or not you make a mess out of it, you'll get to wear it, little sister."

Silence.

A tired, triumphant smile. "Just leave the hat alone. I'll finish it later."

A groan of protest. "But I can try!"

An exasperated sigh. "Oh, shush! Do you want me to sleep or not?"

Sophie wakes up a few hours later and quickly finishes the remaining hats, before going back to sleep. The trip is a bit uncomfortable, considering the rocky and uneven terrain, Lettie notes, but Sophie's sleeping like a babe in the softest crib.

They arrive at Kingsbury two days before the start of the cotillion. The luxurious houses, the green gardens, and the sparkling streets of the capital of Ingary leave the two sisters' jaws hanging until the carriage stops in front of an inn where they will stay until they live with their chosen suitor.

"If this is what the streets of Kingsbury looks like, I do not know what to expect of the palace," Sophie tells her sister, the awe could be heard in her voice.

"Let's look around!" Lettie says cheerfully, unable to tear her eyes away from the foreign place.

"If we have time after settling into our rooms and opening our bags, then perhaps, we will," Sophie says in reply.

Lettie finishes first and bursts into Sophie's room with excitement. "Come on, Sophie! Finish that later. Let's go out for a stroll!"

Sophie gives her sister a smile and says, "Alright. You wait downstairs. I'll just get my shawl."

"Are you seriously wearing that?" Lettie asks once Sophie appeared next to her.

Sophie looks down at her storm-gray dress, and same-colored shawl. "Yes. Is something the matter?"

"Yes! You wore a gray dress yesterday, and the other day. Do you not want to wear other colors? Gray makes your skin dull, ashen, and sickly. And it does not complement your hair."

"Oh, that's alright. I do not want to catch attention, anyway. And besides, you will absolutely stand out when you are next to me."

Indeed, walking beside her gray-dressed sister, Lettie glows in her warm and buttery yellow dress. She's so happy and excited that her face blooms in beauty, which gets a lot of admiring looks. The place is so beautiful that both sisters momentarily forget about the sole reason why they have come.

"Oh, Sophie! Look at that! It looks wonderful from afar. I wonder if it is more wonderful closely," Lettie walks off to the direction where she saw the sight, not waiting for her sister to answer.

There are too many people around that it is very easy to be separated from someone. "Lettie," Sophie calls out, when she sees she lost sight of her sister. "Lettie!" When she does not get an answer, she thinks Oh, dear. What am I supposed to do now? There are many wonderful sights around and I do not know where Lettie went! After wandering helplessly for a while, the red-haired lady decides to go back to the inn.

The place still is foreign and unfamiliar to her, and she did not take note which corners they turned while walking. First, I am separated from my sister. Now, I am lost! Oh, what shall I do? Sophie tries to calm down her panicking self. I should go and ask for directions. That will certainly help.

But the streets are busy with the arriving carriages of Strangian ladies, and there are many, many people milling around, some are flirting, some are walking briskly, some are chatting and laughing, and some are shouting loudly. Sophie grows dizzy from it all. It does not help that she is too nervous to speak a single word to anyone. I seem to have lost my voice! Or perhaps, is it because I have not socialized for weeks that I am now a mute? She remembers that for months, she only left the hat shop when she has to go to school, or to buy something from the market, or to deliver an ordered hat to a customer personally. She tells herself, Strangians and Ingarians are here in these mob of people. They are just people, just like you. They won't hurt you.

To avoid the crowd, she decides to just walk near the buildings and find her way back to the inn somehow, since there are still a few more hours before sundown. She is already panicking and it does not help her when some people tried to talk to her. Vendors offer her their goods, some women try to chat with her, and some men try to flirt with her. Sophie tries very hard not to run away from them. However, she has no more self-control left when a handsome light-haired man in an elegant suit corners and stops her.

"Hello, lady," The man's voice is too velvety and soft that her knees seem go weak hearing the two words from his mouth.

Sophie shrinks away from him and tries to make herself small. She does not look at him in the eye as she stammers, "E-excuse me. I have to go somewhere."

"Are you new here? Maybe you are a Strangian. Many Strangian ladies are lost here. Are you lost, by any chance?" The man obviously attempts to soothe and calm her down, but it is doing the opposite effect. Her breaths become shallow and fast and her heart feels like it is going to burst. She fears she would have a heart attack.

Almost ashamed to admit the truth, her answer comes in a whisper. "No. I am not lost. I am looking for my sister."

"Oh," his voice turns sympathetic. "Do you wish for me to help you look for your sister? Kingsbury is a large city."

His kindness makes her feel more ashamed than ever. She quickly stammers a "N-no! Thank you," before running away from him.

This place is just the streets! Oh, how could I ever survive the cotillion? She thinks, while running away. And when she finally sees the inn, she thinks that she is finally safe. However, she bumps into two men in military clothes.

"Oh, I am very sorry!" She stammers, while panting. She tries to run for the inn, but the men block her way.

"You look tired, miss," the soldier looks at her. "and scared. Would you like to come with us for a drink?"

"We would keep you company for a while," the second one grins at his friend.

"N-no, thank you. I am going back to my inn," she tries to skirt away from them, but is blocked again.

"Oh!" The first soldier chuckles. "You are a Strangian lady! Are you here for the cotillion? I am a soldier who will also attend the event. Say, how about I propose to you now and you accept? I would not mind missing the cotillion if I can bring home a pretty wife tonight!"

"Poor Strangian ladies. Your lines of suitors must have been cut in half when your soldiers lost their lives in the battlefield! And in the end of the cotillion, the Strangian soldiers who survived will be left with no ladies to marry!" The second soldier laughed loudly and is joined in by the first one.

Sophie's fear melts into anger. She stands up to the soldiers who made fun of her country. "Well, then! You should wait for the end of the cotillion to bring home a wife. And I am very sure that I will not be that unfortunate lady!" She runs away from them, before they could even answer or block her again.

Lettie is waiting for her in her room. "Oh, Sophie! Where have you been?" But before hearing her sister's answer, she tells of the wonderful sights she saw.

After letting her younger sister talk, Sophie tells her of what happened to herself. Lettie's eyes flash. "I have experienced the same thing! Some military officers tried to take me by force when I politely declined their offers. They are animals!"

Sophie squares her shoulders and levels her gaze to her sister's. "Lettie, I have decided to be very disagreeable during the cotillion. If those soldiers are nothing but rude and insensitive men, then I shall not be a graceful and polite person as well."

Lettie nods, although she looks worried. "I would love to do the same, but how will that turn out? Won't we be in trouble afterwards?"

"Trouble, it is then! They think that ladies are just trophies and objects to win and take home as a prize. I will make it very clear that I strongly oppose the idea of marrying soldiers who defeated our country with violence."

Lettie's face becomes sad. "While I think that you have a point, we cannot deny that in the end, they probably won't change opinions or minds. After all, in their eyes, we are just ladies with pretty faces."

On the first day of cotillion, Lettie looks at her sister's pearly gray gown while they are waiting for the carriage to pick them up. "Gray? Again?"

Sophie takes in a deep breath when the carriage stopped in front of them. "I have no care if they think I look dull or ashen or sickly or boring." She raises an eyebrow, when they get in the carriage. "No, erase what I said. I would love it if they think I look dull, ashen, sickly or boring. That means they would leave me alone."

Lettie sighs and looks out at the window. "Oh, how I wish I have a gray dress. Why have you not made me a gray one?" She obviously does not feel as lovely as she look in her purple gown. She was almost taken by force by another soldier yesterday when she went out for a stroll without her older sister. She was lucky to get away without scratches or bruises. Sophie was so surprised to see her sister very angry when she got home. Lettie was as determined as Sophie to ruin her status at the cotillion. "I shall be as blunt and as rude as I can be," she said.

"Gray does not suit you, Lettie," Sophie remarks, smoothing the wrinkles of her skirt.

"Well, gray does not suit you either," Lettie snaps. They are silent until the carriage stops and the footman opens the carriage door for them. Neither lady is eager to get off the carriage.

The kings of Ingary and Strangia each give a small speech, welcoming the Strangian ladies and complimenting the bravery and efforts of Ingarian soldiers. Prince Justin, the brother of the king of Ingary, stands beside his fiancé, Princess Beatrice, the daughter of the king of Strangia. Neither of the couple looks happy or pleased to be beside each other. Sophie, Lettie, and a few ladies who do not wish to be at the cotillion feel a small spark of satisfaction.

"Do you think men will be turned off if I eat a lot?" Lettie asks her older sister when the royalties have given the signal to start the cotillion. They are in awe of the ballroom of the Ingary Palace, but neither of them are delighted to be there.

"I guess so. Are you hungry?" Sophie asks.

"I have no appetite, but my stomach is rumbling. I have not yet eaten breakfast."

"Well then. I shall go sit by the chairs over there. Come join me if you're done eating."

Music is played by a quartet at the corner of the room and flirting is to be seen all around the room. Sophie and a few ladies sit the chairs, either they are observing or waiting to be accosted. Sophie looks at the clock and wonders why Lettie is taking too long in eating. Then she sees that her sister is talking with a few men, but she is not enjoying herself. She looks like she's giving them a piece of her mind. Sophie lets herself smile a little. So far, she herself has not been approached by any man. She gives them all a cool glare before they speak, which scares them away.

Her throat is parched from not talking. She stands up to go the table full of food to get herself a glass of water. And someone taps her shoulder on her way.

She turns to see the light-haired man whom she met two days ago. She does not let any recognition show and keeps her face cool, partly bored and partly annoyed to be stopped.

The man in front of her smiled in an affectionate way and bowed gracefully and says in his velvety soft voice, "We meet again, lady."

Sophie curtsies and answers in her best icy tone, "It is a pleasure to see you again, sir."

The man is not disheartened by her tone, in fact, he seems amused. He smiled wilder and continues to speak in his smooth voice, "But it seems I have not been given the pleasure of knowing your name. May I be graced at this moment?"

Sophie hopes she does not let her discomfort appear. Never before has she been talked to like this! She answers icily, "Sophie Hatter."

The man makes a charming move of reaching for her hand and kissing it. At this moment, Sophie could not help herself from blushing. The man smiles charmingly at her, "And I am Howl Pendragon."


End file.
